lost hearts return home
by Bear of avalon
Summary: Suffering from nightmares kit falls into a depression and tragedy strikes. on hiatus until further notice.
1. Chapter 1

LOST HEARTS RETURN HOME

Written by Tucker Cloudkicker

Edited by Tom Cloudkicker

Disclaimer:

Kit Cloudkicker and names of other characters from TaleSpin are copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company. No commercial exploitation is intended, nor should it be inferred.

Chapter One

Spartan, sanitary and completely nerve-wracking; Baloo had always hated hospitals, though he had a good reason. His father had passed on in a hospital like this many years ago and now Baloo was sitting in a doctor's office discussing the health of someone he cared for once again. Twisting his cap in his hands nervously, Baloo stared down at the floor not wanting to see the pity in the doctor's eyes. That same look of pity another doctor had given him when he was a cub. It was that look people were often given when they became a victim of terrible circumstances.

Blinking again Baloo wondered how it had come to this sad state. Having known the boy for at least six months, Baloo figured he should have known how to tell when something was bothering the cub by now. Unfortunately, due to this latest incident it may have been a moot point anyway. Still, Baloo silently cursed himself for not seeing this sooner. Looking next to him, Baloo glanced to the person who had been there for both of them throughout the crisis, a bearess who Baloo had called an employer and quite recently began to call his friend, Rebecca Cunningham.

Sighing he watched her as she tried not to cry, which seemed to be a losing battle to say the least. Six months ago Baloo would have never thought he'd feel so bad about seeing Rebecca Cunningham hurt like this. Shaking his head, Baloo knew that she felt as guilty about this as he although he truly could not understand why. Feeling a need to break the silence finally, Baloo cleared his throat and put his paw on her shoulder. Baloo opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance.

"I...I let him downWhen Kit needed me the most, I let him down. Iin my own way let him know that he could come to me when he had a problem. I made a promise and I broke it." She had remembered when she had sang that lullaby to Molly the first night they had spent at Higher for Hire and had noticed Kit standing at the window with that look that said he needed a home as well. Feeling the guilt hit again, Rebecca started to break down.

Shaking his head Baloo sighed. "Becky you can't blame yourself. You had Molly to take care of and angry customers and..." Scratching the back of his head Baloo winced. "I know I haven't

been very helpful. Besides...if anyone is to blame it's me. I take care of the kid. I should have seen that something was wrong."

Clearing his throat the child psychiatrist Scott Gerald finally spoke up. "Baloo didn't you say Kit was good at hiding his problems and had a problem coming to you and Miss Cunningham for help?"

Both nodded.

Rebecca sniffed a bit. "Yes but...we both knew Kit wasn't sleeping well and when he did his dreams were never sweet. We both also noticed he's had bouts of depression not long before what happened. Kit didn't know we heard but…there were nights we'd hear him out by the plane crying alone. I...just can't understand why he's so afraid to trust us. Now...now we might never...get that chance."

Walking around the desk with a box of tissue Scott knelt in front of Rebecca holding it out for her. "Miss Cunningham, I know this seems bleak but from what I've heard Kit's a strong child. I'm sure with time and support we can find a way to bring Kit back."

Tossing his cap to the floor Baloo got to his feet and headed to the door. "All you doctors are all the same! You give us false hope and then the only thing that comes out of it is pain!" With a frustrated growl, Baloo stormed from the room.

Watching with shock Jonathan shook his head. "Baloo obviously has had a bad history with doctors, I'd say".

Shrugging Rebecca looked to the door. "Baloo sadly, has also been a bit of a mystery as well...I suppose there're a lot of things all three of us are afraid to talk about. I only hope you're right

doctor. I just hope we do get the chance."

Walking along the psychiatric ward Baloo grimaced at hearing patients many screaming others crying in different rooms and felt his stomach tie in knots.

Sadly...many here had deep emotional scars that seem fated to torment the souls of those who occupied these halls. Now...Kit, his friend, navigator, and possibly closest thing to family was now an occupant to this sad fate. "Li'l Britches...you don't deserve this."

Finding himself in front of Kit's door, Baloo scratched his ear and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure he was ready to do this but, he knew he had to be strong for Kit. "Well...here it is." Not really knowing what to expect Baloo opened the door and stepped in to find Kit's bed...empty?

Looking around frantically Baloo could not see the small cub anywhere. Heart racing, Baloo prayed Kit had not somehow wandered off in his confused state.

Turning to call for help, Baloo stopped short hearing small breaths from the corner beside the bed. Worried Baloo followed the sound, finding his best friend and partner curled up in a ball shivering on the floor. The nurse had told him and Rebecca earlier that they had found Kit like this on a few occasions.

Leaning down beside the boy, Baloo placed a gentle paw on Kit's shoulder and spoke gently. "Li'l Britches? What are you doing on the floor?"

Kneeling there Baloo waited for a response but never got one. Leaning closer Baloo looked into Kit's face and saw the boy's eyes shut, his face twisted in agony. "Kid?"

"He's... He's still like this?" Baloo asked no one in particular.

Baloo jumped slightly when he heard a female voice behind him.

"Poor kid has been in and out of it since they brought him in."

"That...that voice sounds so familiar," Baloo thought to himself. Turning his head to see who spoke, Baloo paled slightly and blinked. "Elizabeth?"

The bearess smiled warmly and nodded. "It's good to see you Baloo. How have you been?"

Trying to speak, the grey bear found himself dumbfounded. How long had it been since he had seen her beautiful face? Sighing, Baloo shook his head. "Why? I thought we were happy? I thought you said you wanted…"

Elizabeth shook her head; a tear fell from her cheek. "Baloo things happened I couldn't explain and I couldn't find you to if I could."

Baloo fumed .He knew the real reason and he was hurt by her unsaid accusation. "You still blame me don't you? You blame me for losing our…"

"Can't, I can't do it any more."

Barely hearing Kit's whisper, Baloo turned his head. "Kit?"

Realizing he needed to take care of Kit at the moment, Baloo turned back to Elizabeth and began to speak, only to discover that she was no longer there. Shaking his head Baloo sighed. "Disappearing when things went rough; why does that seem so familiar?"

Waving it off, the bear quickly made his way over to Kit's side; who was murmuring quietly, "Can't do it...I can't do it anymore. So...c-c-cold and alone..."

Baloo winced and felt hurt again. Didn't the kid know he was there? Gently shaking the

small boy's shoulder Baloo tried to get him to look at him.

"It's...it's no use Baloo he can't hear you."

Turning his head Baloo scowled fiercely at the doctor who leaned in the doorway.

"I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you, but Kit could no longer deal with reality and his mind could not handle the stress."

Baloo looked confused and frustrated.

"I hate this part of my job," Jonathan murmured to himself. He never liked having to tell people that their loved one may never recover. "Baloo, being down the well for a week without food or water and not hearing a voice beside his own, Kit believed he would die cold and alone. His mind slowly started to shut down. Having been traumatized so badly, Kit...Kit lost all touch with reality and slowly slipped into his mind trapped in his worst fears."

Baloo looked lost and unsure. He had wanted this shrink to tell him the honest truth, what was happening to Kit. Now that he had heard the cold hard facts, he wished he could have lived with the sugar-coated version.

Trembling, Baloo begged whatever forces out there to end this nightmare. It was not fair for them to do this again. He couldn't lose yet another that he cared about.

"Baloo?"

Not answering, Baloo gently scooped the boy into his arms taking care as if afraid to break him. Lifting him into his arms, Baloo slowly walked off to find a quiet place to think.

Having found a quiet out of the way unused waiting room, Baloo made himself comfortable as possible. Cradling the cub in his arms he looked down into Kit's face: thankful that he had fallen asleep finally.

Brushing the bangs from Kit's eyes his mind wandered slightly back to Elizabeth and how he had once lost his chance at a family. Laughing weakly, Baloo started to realize how much

Rebecca was like her. Both were almost always by the book when it came to details. Then again they also shared that love for their child.

Finally returning his gaze to Kit he smiled warmly, though his eyes showed the sorrow and guilt he felt. "I...I know you can't hear, Li'l Britches, but...I promise you things'll be different if...no. _when_ you get better. No more secrets and no more hiding problems. Just come back to me okay?"

Yawning a bit, Baloo realized that he had been awake for a majority of the last two and half weeks. He had promised himself that he would not sleep until he had found Kit.

Propping himself up on the couch, Baloo rested Kit on top of him, the cub's head on his shoulder. With a weak smile Baloo wrapped his arms around the cub's small frame, kissed him on the top of his head and closed his eyes. "G'night...Baby Bear."

Unseen by the grey bear, Elizabeth sat watching the whole scene. Smiling sadly, the bearess wiped a tear from her eye. "He always was good with children" she whispered to herself. "If only he could learn to control that temper; not to mention that inflated ego. I just hope they both realize how much they need each other".

Watching quietly, she studied how loving Baloo had quickly become with Kit and wondered to herself what it would have been like to have raised hers and Baloo's child. Would he have been a kindhearted handsome young man like Kit? Looking back on the two, Elizabeth blinked when she heard Baloo call Kit "Baby Bear." Having to stifle a gasp, she remembered how he had called their child that. "Could...could he be...?"

"I think I saw him come this way doctor."

Stepping into the waiting room Jonathan looked around waiting for his eyes to focus. Or at

least he made it appear that way until he could take a second to think. "There's no one he...ah there he is." Turning his head to look at the nurse he shook his head and put his fingers to his lips. "Let them sleep, they both need it."

Looking nervous about it all the nurse whispered, "But doctor the patient should be..."

"Nurse Bea!" Lowering his voice, "Nurse, may I remind you why he's here? He needs to be in the company of people to help snap him out of this. It's okay. I'll take responsibility if anything happens. Just let Mr. Baloo be with his..." Jonathan knew Kit was not Baloo's son but from what he was seeing he knew the bear could not see Kit as anything but. "Let him be with his kid."

Nodding the nurse quietly walked off.

"Poor kid...and to think...if I had gotten to meet him weeks ago this may not have happened."


	2. Chapter 2

LOST HEARTS RETURN HOME

Written by Tucker Cloudkicker

Edited by Tom Cloudkicker

Disclaimer:

Kit Cloudkicker and names of other characters from TaleSpin are copyrighted by the Walt Disney Company.

No commercial exploitation is intended, nor should it be inferred.

Chapter Two

Kit Cloudkicker, navigator and friend of Baloo, groaned as he rolled over onto his back, squinting at the rays of light that entered the window of their bedroom. It had been another long, sleepless night for the bear cub. That same dream that had haunted him for over a week had invaded his mind again and it was getting worse. Looking over at the clock, Kit sighed. Just a little past dawn and he was already awake.

"Gee whiz", Kit muttered to himself, "It's Saturday, we've got no jobs and no school, but I'm up earlier than I'd need to be when we don't have things to do." Silently scolding himself, he rolled back over onto his stomach and pulled the covers over his head.

Trying to understand why the memories were returning, Kit concentrated on remembering how the dream had gone, almost immediately regretting it as the now-waking thoughts rushed in.

The orphanage, Winger City Orphanage. Remembering how cold the place was, both literally and metaphorically. With the economy being in sad shape, the orphanage had a problem affording heating the place.

But warmth was the least of worries these days. Wandering about the halls of the orphanage, Kit often felt like a ghost, and that nobody seemed to notice the boy even existed. It was a sad but true fact that even in a place like this, cliques and groups would form and children would be excluded. Kit had found himself more and more excluded from these groups; finding him losing confidence in himself.

Like a sore thumb, it showed and Kit found himself being pushed away by even the kindest of kids.

Unfortunately this situation did not only affect his relationship with those of his age but those whose responsibilities were to take care of him as well. Though with the adults it was also due to the fact that they had much to worry about. Not only did the orphanage have to worry about paying the heating bill, they had begun to discuss laying people off.

With the economy being like it was, nobody could afford to make a living on their own, let alone

adopt a child. The director of the orphanage had tried to explain this to her supervisors, but like many cases, they were unwilling to hear any of it. This caused a lot of tension among the staff which usually ended up being vented on the children. Kit usually ended up being the target of this venting or the target of the children's hostility because of it.

So he had began to avoid pretty much everyone after a while and had ended up with many nicknames because of it. The ones he was mostly known by were usually "Ghost", or"Mouse" (of course his size had been a big part of this mostly popular name).

From there, the dream had turned to after he had escaped the orphanage. He had taken special care to make sure no one had noticed that he left until it was too late, although he was sure that nobody noticed that he was there to begin with.

Finding himself back on the streets, Kit had remembered the struggle he had put on himself when

he had chosen the life of the streets. Two years of begging, stealing, and conning his way to survive. It had been the hardest thing he had ever done.

Thousands of people had surrounded him everyday but he still felt that he was alone. He was still that same little mouse, but he had learned what it had taken to survive. He had also learned that false sense of confidence, even if it did seem a little over the top at times. He had also learned that false bravado or hope would keep him alive. He had come close to death more times than he

was able to deal with.

In the time he had lived on the streets, Kit had often hung out in the local libraries of the cities he

had occupied, keeping warm as best as he could. Finding himself in a good opportunity the boy had decided that he would take time in studying the thing he loved the most in this sad cold world…flying.

He didn't remember why, but the cub knew that he had flying in his veins and that one day he would fly. Studying every thing he could get his paws on, Kit studied from planes to navigation in hopes to one day become a pilot.

After a few months, the boy had begun to hitch rides on planes, though most of the time against the wishes of the pilots...

This was the case the fateful day that Kit had met the leader of the nefarious air pirates.

Kit remembered how Don Karnage had taken down the plane he had been hiding in. If any pilot

could have been more peeved, Kit wouldn't have known. Having been taken for anything and everything he had been carrying, finding a stowaway in his plane was something the pilot was not willing to handle at that moment.

Having lost what was left of his composure, the large pilot took out his frustrations on Kit.

Kit could not remember why, but the pirate captain had decided to stick around when the pilot had found his new punching back. It was odd and slightly frightening how wrathful the pirate had become when he had nearly taken him apart for harming Kit.

For a long time after that, Kit had made it his decision to become a pirate and protégé of Don Karnage. He had believed the lies that he was now a part of the "family" of pirates and that he'd have a purpose. Unknown to Kit, he'd be spending his time with this family as that same little mouse that he had become in the orphanage, though with the partial confidence he had learned on the street; though only enough to keep him alive and fed.

Sadly…that was where the end of the dream had come. There were no memories of how he had

met Baloo or the others; just the emptiness and pain of the past.

Up until a week ago he had stopped having these dreams when he came to Higher for Hire. So, why was he having them now? Waking up in a cold sweat and in tears every day was starting to wear him out.

Realizing he was pretty much awake for the rest of the day, Kit growled weakly, pushed the

covers off, and sat up on his bed. Looking over at his friend and Papa Bear, Baloo, Kit sighed. It seemed to him that even through the worst of situations Baloo never seemed to have problems sleeping. Shaking his head, Kit got up and quietly walked into the bathroom for a shower.

Rolling over to face Kit's bed, Baloo frowned. "Another sleepless night…that makes a week he's

been like that. What's up with that kid these days?" Sighing himself, Baloo propped himself up on the bed and stared over at the bathroom door.

This was not the first time this had happened. He had remembered how the cub had been when he first met him. How he had been when Kit moved to Higher for Hire. He had been kind of jumpy and not very trusting of him or Rebecca.

Since than he had opened up a little, but Kit still seemed to be hesitant about talking about his past. In perspective, Kit had changed so much and had kind of taken on traits of Baloo. Some of them were good some were bad. All in all Kit had seemed to become more whole of a person than he had been when he had first met him.

Rebecca and Molly had played a part in his growing.

Rebecca, being able to teach Kit to be responsible and mature (although Kit didn't seem to really need much help on that. Molly had been able to teach Kit that he was still a kid and that he had plenty of time to be an adult later (Pigtails was pretty smart for her age; maybe a little too smart for her own good.)

Even Wildcat in his own way had taught Kit, although he still wasn't sure what. Most of the time he could never understand the mechanic's way of thinking, but every now and than he'd come up with some mind-blowing perspectives.

Looking back at the bathroom door his thoughts went back to Kit. He knew in his heart that Kit had a lot of issues, but he had believed those to be over with by now.

Apparently that was not the case. Shrugging a bit, Baloo rolled onto his back. Maybe it would just pass in a few days or so; like a stomach virus. "Maybe a visit to Louie's would raise the kid's mood."

With that, Baloo grinned proudly at himself and figured he'd get a few more winks before he started the day.

Moments after Baloo had nodded off to sleep again Kit stepped out of the bathroom and looked over at the grey bear, a warm smile on his face. Good ole' Papa bear…one of the only dependable things in his life.

Shaking his head, a stray thought came to his mind. How dependable was he really? After all that had happened, how could he put faith that this would last? Remembering that saying "nothing good lasts forever", he remembered how the last situation ended. He knew he couldn't put to much hope into this one either.

Still, that was a thought he couldn't afford to let run through his mind now. Besides he could be extremely wrong. He had been in the past many times. Pushing it back into the closet for the time being,Kit returned his gaze back to the sleeping bear. "Why would he would he want me around? I've run away enough times to make him get tired of me…" With a sigh, Kit went downstairs to get some breakfast, even hough he had lost his appetite from his train of thought.

It hadn't been much longer that Kit had looked up from his breakfast when he saw Baloo enter the kitchen. Smiling tiredly, Kit waved a hello, "Morning, Papa Bear". Wincing mentally, Kit realized how terrible he sounded having said that.Geez, I sound…

"Bad, Kiddo…You okay? Kiddo?" Baloo waved a hand in front of the boy's face and frowned.

Seeing a hand in front of his face, Kit jumped slightly and gave the big bear a sheepish grin when he noticed the look on Baloo's face.

"Hey, Little Britches, you okay? You look like something the cat dragged in."

Kit scowled at him, sighed, and looked down. "I…just haven't gotten much sleep lately"

No kidding, Baloo thought to himself as he took a seat across from Kit. "So…do ya…wanna talk about it? It might make you feel better."

Kit simply shook his head as he spun the cereal around in his bowl. "I…I'm just…there's just a lot of stuff going on right now; just a lot of things to think about right now."

Sitting back in his chair Baloo knew that Kit was being dishonest with him again, but he knew that if he pushed to hard, the kid could walk away like he had in the past. "Alright, kiddo, if you do wanna talk, I'll be here to listen okay?"

Kit didn't look up, but he did nod his head.

Watching him for a few more minutes, Baloo had remembered his idea from earlier, before nodding back off that he had planned the weekend at Louie's. Sitting straight up, Baloo grinned and patted Kit on the shoulder. "You know we haven't been to Louie's in a while and I was thinking we've got the whole weekend off. We could do some fishing and swimming and maybe we could get…"

"Louie's double-decker ice cream sundaes?" Kit finished for him as he looked up at Baloo; a hopeful look in his eyes as he showed a sincere grin.

Rubbing the boy's head, Baloo smiled. "Little Britches, you're starting to think like me!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lost Hearts Return Home

Written by Tucker Cloudkicker

Edited by Tom Cloudkicker

Disclaimer: Tale Spin, Kit Cloudkicker, Baloo, Rebecca and all other Tale Spin characters are property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are used in respect to the creators of the great show. No money has been exchanged in this.

Chapter 3

Standing behind the bar of the most popular nightclub of Cape Suzette, Louie, its owner and bartender, continued to wipe down the counter as he looked around at the place he had called home. Seeing the usual patrons and waiters that moved about the club, the ape started to wonder how he had gotten so lucky.

So many experiences, so many stories had been made here with those he had come to know as friends over the years.

Grinning, he walked over to what he called the Wall of Fame where he placed the pictures of the best of the pilots who occasionally occupied the old place. Looking it over fondly, Louie took down his favorite picture. It was a photo of Baloo with Kit sitting on his knee by the stage, both wearing the biggest grins possible. Baloo, now there was a lucky guy, even if at times the big palooka didn't realize it.

Now Kit…There was a kid who knew what he had. Unfortunately, he also seemed to always be afraid of losing it and, therefore, had a tendency to run away before he thought it would happen, even though everybody but he knew better. That, and the fact that Baloo and Kit's relationship had had a lot of turbulence over the short amount of time they had known each other. The two had butted heads many times. Both were so much alike. Both had short tempers and at times over-the-top confidence levels, though on Kit's side it seemed… forced?

The funny thing was that the kid seemed so familiar to him, even though he had never seen him before he had met Baloo months ago. Looking the picture over again, he sighed and smiled. "Funny…If I didn't know any better I'd say short stop looks a lot like..."

Shaking it off, the good-natured ape smiled at the picture again before placing it back on the wall. He'd have to put those thoughts aside for now. Baloo himself had called earlier saying that he and Kit would be spending the weekend, and Louie knew he'd have to make it unforgettable, then again every visit was unforgettable. "Now if I only I could get that bear to pay his…"

As if on cue, the big grey bear happened to stroll through the doors of the beloved nightclub and looked around, grinning. "Hey, barkeep, how're things on your side of the funny papers?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Louie looked up and waved as he hopped over the counter and hopped over to meet his best friend. "Li'l Boy Baloo, where you been? The place hasn't been the same without you?"

Baloo laughed and hugged the ape, patting him on the back. Grinning sheepishly, Baloo scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Louie, you know how it is. Rebecca comes up with one of her get-rich schemes and hoo boy!"

Louie rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Funny, Baloo, if I recall you got into some trouble in your time with those crazy treasure hunts. So what kind of scheme she got you on this time?"

Baloo groaned and laughed. "Let's just put it this way, Louie ole pal. This one makes the air refueling scheme seem like a vacation!"

Wincing himself, Louie just shook his head. "I tell ya Baloo. I've known you for years and it's never been boring, and since ya met Kit things have gotten even more interesting." Looking around suddenly, Louie blinked. "Where is Shortstop anyway?

Baloo smiled and pointed to the door, though Louie could see the concern in Baloo's eyes. "He'll be in, in a sec. He's having trouble waking up. He kind of took a nap on the way here."

Louie frowned, looking concerned himself. "What's a matter? Kid feelin' under the weather?"

Baloo sighed and nodded. "You could say that. Kid's been having problem sleeping lately, and when he does he seems to have this reoccurring dream that's really bothering him. I just can't understand why he won't tell me what's…"

"Hey, Li'l Cuz!" Louie greeted, cutting the grey bear off as he walked over to greet the yawning cub.

Looking up suddenly as if from coming back from majorly spacing out and grinned at the ape. "Hey, Louie! Sorry we haven't been around. Miss Cunningham has had…"

"It's okay, kiddo. Baloo here has told me of your latest nightmare."

Kit blinked and looked up at Baloo crossing his arms across his chest. "Papa Bear…."

Baloo shrugged. "Aw, come on, kiddo. You know how crazy this last job was..."

The young navigator had to admit it. Baloo was right, The longer he and Baloo worked for Rebecca, the crazier the schemes. Still, having them around he figured that by now…it was worth it. Grinning, Kit shrugged and laughed slightly. "Hey, you have to admit, Papa Bear, she _is_ creative."

Baloo nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well maybe she could be more creative with… hold on. Why are we talking about that anyway? I thought we were taking a short vacation?"

Grinning, Kit nodded and felt grateful Baloo's rant came mercifully to a short end. With another short yawn, Kit stood back and watched as two of his best friends shared a camaraderie that he himself never thought would be able to share with anyone. It was something that showed life could be full of surprises. Yet, he couldn't help but think that anything could happen to take it all away. Shaking the thought off, Kit finally joined the two as pilot and barkeep exchanged good-natured banter.

Hours later, in the early evening as the sun was still setting on the small island coast, Kit watched the waves crash upon the coast and just as quickly recede into the ocean. Part of him would have thought how this could be a metaphor for his life. The rest of him wanted to smack himself and say "get a life" and for once in over two weeks Kit had decided to follow "majority vote" on this one and laughed at himself. Leaning back on the warm sand resting his hands behind his head.

It was odd really…Baloo and Kit had these little trips to Louie's before, but this one so far had seemed different. Somehow he enjoyed this little excursion more than any previously had. Maybe it was just that sometimes when you remember how little you started out with you remember to cherish what you have been given. With a smile to himself, the cub knew that after the weekend was over he and Baloo would be swamped with deliveries nonstop and that every moment of this retreat will be greatly appreciated.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Kit laughed weakly. "So, Papa Bear…have your share of ice cream sundaes yet?" Hearing a laughter that was not Baloo, Kit rolled over onto his stomach and looked up to see Louie, who gave the cub a jovial grin.

"Are you kidding, cuz? You know how much food that bear can pack away. Heck! That's why I added those extra freezers in the basement years ago."

Kit just laughed and rolled his eyes as he looked to Louie. "I'm surprised you left him in there. Aren't ya scared he'll eat you out of stock?"

Louie shook his head and grinned. "Nah, I told him if he tried, I'd call my Aunt Louise to come for a visit if he did. Besides…I thought I'd come out and visit with you for a while."

Blinking in disbelief, Kit's eyes widened a bit and pointed to himself. Sure, he and Louie spoke a lot but usually Baloo was with them and most of the conversation went on between Baloo and Louie. "You wanna talk to me?"

Louie blinked and gave him mock scowl. "Geez Louise, kid, you make it sound like I never talk to ya."

Kit grinned sheepishly and looked down. "Well….yeah, but usually it's when Baloo is around. But it's okay…You've known Papa Bear a lot longer then you've known me."

Louie blinked and went to deny it but, realized that the cub was right. He hadn't ever spoken with him alone. Mentally kicking himself, the good natured ape knelt beside Kit and patted him on the shoulder, chuckling. "Well I'll be a monkey's…why didn't you say anything before now, Shortstop?"

Not really thinking about it until now, Kit wasn't really sure. Shrugging his shoulders, Kit grinned sheepishly. "I…I guess I didn't want to interrupt you two when you're talking about the old days. Besides I always liked hearing about how things used to be."

Not buying it, Louie shook his head and smiled weakly. "Aw, come on, kiddo, I ain't Baloo. Ya should know me better than that by now. What's going on with you?"

Turning to face the water once again, Kit sighed. He knew it was true from what he's seen in the past of Louie. It was hard to get a lie past him. Especially if it was concerning a friend and how they were feeling. He knew there was no point in trying again, but just didn't want to give Louie any more problems than he already had, just like Baloo. "I'm sorry, Louie, but I just don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet. Maybe soon, but just not now."

Shaking his head again, Louie took a seat beside Kit. "You know, you're starting to act a lot like Baloo. That could be considered a good thing, but you're starting to take on his bad traits too. Like not telling anybody when something's bothering 'im. Now I'm not gonna push you into talking but I just want you to know I'll be here if you want to talk."

Kit nodded and smiled gratefully at the ape before staring off into the sunset once more. He knew he had evaded the interrogation this time but there'd be a point where he could not be so lucky.

The rest of the weekend had gone better than Kit could hope as Louie had taken the rest of the weekend off to join his pals in enjoying the oddly warmer than usual time for this time of the year. Between fishing, swimming, and talking about adventures past. It was nothing like Kit imagined it would be and, no matter what would happen in the future, no matter where he ended up, Kit would remember this weekend.

Sadly, the weekend came to a quick end and both pilot and navigator found themselves homeward bound.

For the most part the flight was silent as both spent the time in perspective. Baloo, as he flew his precious _Sea Duck_, looked over occasionally to the boy who had become his navigator and close friend. Though, in a way the kid had become something more than just a friend over the past few months and couldn't help but recall his past. His thoughts went back to the only woman he had ever loved. His wife, Elisabeth, like himself, had been a carefree adventurer and pilot. All she wanted out of life was the freedom of the blue skies, adventure, and her husband Baloo. Besides, there was nobody else on this earth that could keep the big grey bear in line…at least not in her opinion.

Sighing, he wondered again how things had come to the end like they did. Then he had recalled the letter. The "Dear John" letter that sadly he knew was going to show up eventually, but not as quickly as it did.

11 years earlier…

Returning from a long flight taking needed supplies to a small island after a tsunami, all Baloo wanted to do was get some sleep and see his wife again. Muttering quietly to himself as he slipped from the plane, Baloo quietly made his way up the dock toward the home he and his wife had made here in Cape Suzette; so lovingly called Elizabeth and Baloo's Air Service. Rubbing a sore shoulder and wincing at the hollering he'd get from her for being late, Baloo stepped into the front office and immediately realized that something was not right.

His heart beating faster, Baloo swallowed a lump in his throat as he realized things were a lot more quiet than normal. Moving to the kitchen, Baloo found a half eaten meal sitting on the table. From the looks of it, it had been sitting there for some time. "Ah, get a hold of yerself, Baloo, she probably just forgot."

Not believing himself, Baloo went out of the kitchen and slowly took to the staircase. Carefully taking each step, Baloo felt as if this was the longest climb he had ever taken. Curiously, Baloo wondered if this was how condemned prisoners felt just before the end. Like many, he hoped there would be that call of reprieve at the last moment and she'd be there.

Sadly, there was no reprieve…and no Elizabeth. Having returned to the office below, Baloo had found the note left on the cluttered and broken desk of the office. How many times had she asked him to fix that desk? Picking it up, Baloo sat shaking as he read the words that seared into his brain. Words that he had been telling himself since they lost him but wasn't willing to admit it.

Dear Baloo,

By the time you read this, I will have been gone for more than a day; a day and a half knowing you. I'm sorry I could not tell you this in person, but I could not bear to face you, to have to see that look when I would tell you that I cannot stay any longer. Please understand that when we lost our child, I lost a part of myself; that we had lost a part of us. Although we both never blamed the other and we had tried to get on with our lives, things had changed. I never truly believe you understood how I felt. Yes …you were his father but I was his mother. For nine months I had a bond with this child that you could never understand.

I know you plan to try to find me. That's the kind of guy you are. Never giving up without a fight. That's part of why I always love you so much. But for once, Baloo, please, if you love me like I know you do, leave me in peace and go on with your life. Maybe just one day when I've come to terms with what life has handed me, I will return one day. Until then, understand that I never blamed you and will always love you.

Elizabeth Samantha Bruinwald

Who knows how long he had sat there just staring at the letter. Disbelief and shock as he shook his head, not wanting to believe any of it. Wanting to believe that it was all a dream and that he'd wake up at Louie's, fly home, and hug his wife and never let go.

Sadly, he never did wake up from the nightmare and after a few months he finally started to come around with the help of the only friend he had left In this world. Although it took patience and tough love, Louie had finally gotten the bear to realize he still had a life to live and there was no way he was gonna let the big Palooka waste it on living in the past.

Present

"Baloo? Papa Bear?" Waving a hand in front of the bear who finally shook himself out of his reverie Baloo looked to his navigator who currently was wearing a worried look on his face. "Um…Baloo? You okay? You kinda spaced out on me."

Realizing he had kind of left reality for a few moments there, the grey bear grinned sheepishly and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Sorry about that, Little Britches. I was just remembering something from a long time ago."

Getting Kit's full attention now, the cub tilted his head to the side raising a brow. Baloo had never given any glimpse into his past, not that Kit had been too generous with his past either.

Although the two had become the best of friends and partners, there still remained that lack of ability to trust. A majority of it from Kit, though Baloo was not completely trusting himself. Then again with their short, yet active history, neither had given the other a good reason to trust the other…at least on a few occasions. Though every time, pilot and navigator had found a way to work through it and actually cause their friendship to grow.

Smiling at Baloo, Kit nodded and grinned a mischievous grin. "Okay, Baloo…For a second there I thought I'd have to spray soda on you again."

Baloo groaned, reminded of the flight to deliver needed nutrients for a koala at the local zoo. "Oh, baby! And to think I didn't shower 'til morning. It took three showers to get that stuff out."

Kit laughed and hopped back into his seat. "How is it you always end up with something sticky all over you at the end of the day? Soda, bubblegum, glue, Don Karnage…" Kit shuddered at that last one. "I couldn't imagine being physically stuck to that bozo for a second."

Baloo nodded in agreement. "I didn't realize just how annoying that guy could be until I actually had to spend 24 hours with him."

Kit shook his head and sighed. "Try living over a year with the guy. I never thought I'd see someone who was so in love with his mirr…"

Interrupted by the sudden crackle of the radio Kit turned his head as Rebecca came over the signals, sounding slightly urgent. "Higher for Hire to the _Sea Duck_. _Sea Duck_ come in."

Baloo sighed and shook his head and picked up the mike. "Awww, geez, lady, I still have 12 hours left!"

Hearing a sigh on the other side, Baloo frowned.

"I know Baloo and I'm sorry but I just received word that a large shipping contract just became open in Balto Alto and we have to jump on it tonight."

Shaking his head, Baloo sighed himself and released the mike, looking to Kit. "Well, looks like not only is our vacation over, but it'll be a long night as well."

Kit was about to shrug and smile which usually translated into "nothing new" when Rebecca spoke up again.

"By the way, Kit, you're going to have to stay home this trip. I need somebody home to take phone calls in the morning."

Kit was about to complain, but was cut off again.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I'm expecting a few important calls that can't be missed. Now I trust you enough to take them for me, because I know you're an intelligent and responsible young man. Can you do this for me, please?"

Sighing, Kit sat back in his chair, thought for a moment, scratched his ear, and took the mike. "Sure, Miz Cunningham…We'll be home soon. _Sea Duck_ out."


	4. Chapter 4

Lost Hearts Return Home

Written by Tucker Cloudkicker

Edited by Tom Cloudkicker

Disclaimer: Kit, Baloo, Rebecca, Molly, and all other TaleSpin characters are owned by Walt Disney and Buena Vista Television. No commercial exploitation is intended nor should it be inferred. This story is written with much respect to the creators of the show.

Chapter 4

Quiet….No, quiet was an understatement. It was overbearingly quiet.

Staring up at the ceiling Kit hoped that any minute, Baloo and Rebecca would come back through that door, saying that they had changed their minds. The cub imagined Baloo ticking off the people they were supposed to meet before they had even left the cape. Rebecca would be hollering at Baloo and the big bear waving it off, calling them snobs or something to that effect.

Sadly, he knew neither would be back tonight. Nor would they be back until later tomorrow night if things went according to plan. Unfortunately, things never seemed to go according to plan.

Looking up at the ceiling again as he lay in the big overstuffed chair, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Yeah, Kit had been alone a lot in his life, but even then there were plenty of sounds around him. Here it was too quiet, except for the sound of the waves hitting the dock and the sound of the mooring bell clanging softly. Other than that, there were no sounds of people milling about or arguing or haggling over a business deal.

Taking a deep breath, Kit closed his eyes, trying to shove out the thought. Usually, Kit would be against the thought of admitting that he the great Kit Cloudkicker was afraid of anything but being here by himself. In the big and quiet building, Kit realized he was more than a little uncomfortable.

_Two Hours Earlier_

Kit sighed as he sat down in the big overstuffed chair and nodded as Rebecca switched from giving him instructions to hollering at the pilot for the umpteen thousandth time. Shaking his head as the bearess turned to holler at Baloo again and keep Molly from tripping her up, Kit didn't know who he felt worse for; Baloo or Rebecca.

Turning back to Kit, Rebecca frowned and sighed. "Now, honey, you're sure you're going to be okay on your own? I wish I could get a hold of Wildcat, but you know he's visiting his girlfriend. I still can't understand that one." Shaking her head, she smiled weakly at Kit. "And you know I can't leave Molly, honey. Not overnight when it's just you here."

Kit waved her off and smiled confidently. He had learned to do that too well and the cub knew it would probably come back to bite him in the…

"Hey, boss lady! Where'd you say you kept the passports?"

Rebecca growled and turned back to him. "Did you try the filing cabinet under the letter 'P'? You know, 'P' as in predictably annoying?"

Baloo gave a sarcastic laugh and went to retrieve them as Rebecca turned her attention back to Kit. "Now, Kit, you may not have to go to school tomorrow, but I do expect you in bed at a reasonable hour okay?"

Kit blinked at her request and found himself surprised that he hadn't gotten angry, because he had been told what to do. Maybe…maybe it was because she cared. Smiling warmly, Kit nodded. "Yes, Miss Cunningham".

Helping Baloo take the bags to the plane, Kit shook his head as he listened to Baloo gripe again as the big bear tossed the bags into the back of his beloved plane. "Geez, kiddo, if you ever learn why women take so much luggage for a one day trip ya mind telling me, please?"

Kit gave a small chuckle and shrugged, giving his Papa Bear that look that said he wasn't getting involved.

As the cub turned back to walk back into the building, even Baloo couldn't help but see how the boy walked. That anxious yet depressed way his shoulders seemed to slump; he acted as he'd never see Baloo again. It was strange. Baloo and Rebecca had left him behind before to watch the place while they went on a trip. So why was he acting so…? Shaking his head, he braced himself as Rebecca moved quickly down the dock toward him, looking at her watch again.

"Alright, Baloo, we need to get going we do have a…"

Baloo winced and rolled his eyes again. "Oh, please, don't say the 'S' word again!"

Rebecca tilted her head to the side and blinked at the bear, wondering what he was talking about until realization hit. "Oh, good…. Baloo, if you hadn't stopped at Louie's AGAIN, you would have been there on time, and I wouldn't have to give you that…schedule."

Baloo winced again and banged his head against the plane.

Watching with a small evil grin, Rebecca turned to look to Kit to say goodbye and frowned to see that he was nowhere to be seen. Shaking her head, she entered the plane and got ready to leave, figuring he must not be too much on goodbyes.

From the window of the top floor, Kit watched quietly as the _Sea Duck_ slowly backed away from the dock, picked up in speed, and flew away. With a sigh, the cub moved back down the office area, dropping back into Baloo's favorite chair once again.

_The Present_

Two hours later, Kit continued to look up at the ceiling. Blinking a bit, he realized how crazy he was acting. "What's wrong with me? People would think I've never been on my own before…Come on, Cloudkicker! You're almost 13; get a hold of yourself. Most kids my age go insane at the chance at having their home to themselves."

That was when his inner voice reminded him that all of the kids he knew his age weren't orphans and hadn't lived on the streets most of their lives.

"S-s-so what? I lived the streets by myself, yeah, but not anymore. I've got Baloo and Wildcat and Miz Cunningham and…they're not here."

Sitting up, Kt turned on the nearby lamp, almost immediately wishing he hadn't. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Kit started to feel as if the room had gotten a lot bigger. So big that the light could fill the entirety of the room. Feeling his heart beat faster, the cub took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, cursing silently to himself.

"Come on, Kit, you're acting like a little kid. They'll be home tomorrow. You just have to….relax."

Looking around again, Kit tried to look into the darkness of the still office as sweat drops formed on his forehead. Trembling, he sat back in the chair and tried to relax as he finally took notice of the ticking of the grandfather clock ticking away in the corner. The slow, steady ticks of the second hand maddeningly continued as Kit gritted his teeth.

_Four Hours Later_

Still sitting there in the near darkness of the office, Kit unconsciously wiped sweat from his forehead as he stared into the darkness to where he knew that grandfather clock sat mocking him as it ticked away. Panting heavily, the cub did not realize until now that he had been clinching the arms of the chair as he trembled.

By this point, the boy's nerves had been shot and would have sworn his heart was ready to burst out of his chest.

"G-g-gotta snap out of it…Gotta get some sleep so I c-c-can answer the p-p-phone."

Looking around again, the boy swallowed and winced. His throat had become dry and sore as he sat back in the chair again. Up until now, the navigator had nothing to fear. He had flow through hurricanes, fought Don Karnage and had come close to death. Now, he was dealing with something he could not handle; a dark, oppressively lonely Higher for Hire, and for the first time in his life, he was scared. Truly scared to the point of tears as he wrapped his arms around himself, lying down in the chair as he continued to suck in breaths of air.

He knew he had to calm down, or he would start hyperventilating, but knowing and doing were two different things. If he could just ignore the dark lonely…

Shutting his eyes tightly and fighting the tears that dripped down his cheeks, Kit opened his mouth to scream, but all that could come out was a small whimper. Finally unable to deal with it any longer, the cub broke down in tears as he crawled into a ball, sobbing quietly as he hugged himself. He didn't know when, but sometime after Kit finally passed out, crying himself to sleep.

_That Evening_

Hours into the next evening, as the sun slowly faded into the horizon, the _Sea Duck_ appeared from the cliffs.

Its pilot was glad to see Cape Suzette again as he brought the plane lower, as the docks of Higher for Hire came into view. Wincing as he looked over to Rebecca, who glared at him for the 20th time, he knew he'd get another earful as soon as they left the plane. With a sigh, the big bear brought the plane down gently; not wanting to wake the sleeping Molly in the bunks in the cargo hold as he taxied the plane up the docks and shut off the engines.

Glad to be home again, Baloo hopped out of the cockpit and stretched a bit as he looked around, giving a slight yawn before Rebecca made her way out, storming her way over to her pilot.

"Of all the rude, arrogant…"

"Don't forget 'pompous'," Baloo added.

"Pompous…how could you make fun of the Prime Minister's flying skills when we're TRYING TO GET HIM TO SIGN A CONTRACT?!"

Baloo hmphed as he grinned. "Hey I was just bein' honest, Beckers. The guy couldn't even figure out which direction was North WITH a compass. Besides we still got the contract didn't we?"

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca smacked her forehead. "Yes, but no thanks to you."

Opening his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, Baloo noticed that Kit had not come out to welcome them home.

Looking up at the place he called home, Baloo couldn't see a single light on from the building and not a sound could be heard from inside. Neither were good signs. If he had gone out with his friends, leaving Higher for Hire when he was supposed to be watching the phones, Rebecca would have a major fit.

Shaking his head again, Baloo knew that Kit was a lot more responsible than that and realized something felt wrong. Walking slowly toward the building, Baloo almost missed Rebecca hollering at him again.

"Excuse me, but are you going to help me get the bags? And don't walk away from me when I'm hollering at you, Baloo!" Storming toward him to continue yelling, Rebecca stopped as Baloo suddenly turned to her; a concerned look on his face. Switching modes, she looked at him worriedly and put a hand on his arm. "What's wrong, Baloo?"

Baloo looked back at the building and sighed. "You don't notice what's missing? Or more like…who's missing? You woulda thought Li'l Britches would have been out here ready to

welcome us before we could even land."

Rebecca opened her mouth to refute the fact she knew to be true, but realized herself that if anybody besides Baloo would recognize the engines of the _Sea Duck_, it would be Kit. Feeling worried, Rebecca scratched the back of her neck and blinked.

"Why did that seem familiar?" Baloo thought.

Looking back to the building, Rebecca tried to think of a good reason why he was still a no-show. "Maybe…maybe he's listening to his radio show and didn't hear us…" Rebecca then realized there was no way Kit could have not heard the _Sea Duck_, especially how close Baloo flew to the building. She gave a knowing glare to Baloo, blinked and gave an innocent grin.

Looking back at Higher for Hire, Rebecca shook her head and sighed. "Baloo, why are we standing here? We really ought to go in and see if he's okay."

Baloo nodded and scratched his neck before heading to the front door before looking back to Rebecca. "Um…Molly?"

Blinking a few seconds, the bearess grinned sheepishly and nodded before turning to wake her daughter.

From the second floor of the building, the cub in question watched quietly as he saw the two people he had wanted to see since they had left the night before and had to fight the urge to run down the stairs and out the building.

Wiping his face again, the small bear had to figure a way to explain why his eyes were bloodshot and he looked as if he hadn't had bit of sleep. To a point, he hadn't. What sleep he had gotten had been restless with constant flashes of the constant memories that he would rather leave behind. Baloo had continued to beg him to let him know what was bothering him, but Kit couldn't get himself to talk.

He knew that Baloo was still not used to having him around and that he wasn't ready to give up his carefree life. Heck, he himself still had that same need to stay free as a bird; that same spirit of freedom that refused to let him be tied down. The problem was…that same spirit of freedom was keeping him alone. Of course, realizing it and doing something about it were two different things. He wanted to tell him but… "What if I scare him off? Baloo doesn't need some whiny little kid with a lot of baggage. He's done enough already just by rescuing me from Karnage and taking me in."

Miz Cunningham had tried her best as well in the past, but…"She's got Molly to take care of, Papa Bear can be interesting to deal with at times, and all of those angry customers…She doesn't need me to make things more complicated. Besides…How proud of me would she be if she knew what kind of past I had with the pirates?"

Sniffling a bit Kit wiped his eyes again as he looked out the two beside the plane. Neither knew just how much Karnage had impacted his life and, to this day, still didn't. He was like a ghost that haunted his thoughts, both waking and in dreams.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Kit finally noticed as the big grey bear started to head toward the building and realized that Baloo would probably ask why he hadn't come out to meet them. Struggling to come up with a plan, Kit looked around before his eyes targeted the bathroom. "That's it!" As he heard the front door open, Kit dashed into the bathroom to take a shower.

Stepping into the front office, Baloo waited a moment so his eyes could adjust and slowly moved across the office to turn on the light. Looking around for a moment, Baloo searched for the cub; hoping he hadn't somehow hurt himself and was relieved to see nothing was out of place. "Still don't tell me where Kit is…I just hope he didn't run off again." Shaking his head, he moved over to the desk and hoped the kid had at least answered the phone for Becky before he went wherever he went.

Of course, Kit had, and Baloo knew better than to think that Kit would be anything but responsible enough to do what he said he would. Still…the fact remained. Baloo had not liked how Kit walked away the night before he and Rebecca had flown off. Picking up the message pad, Baloo looked through them and shook his head, giving a small chuckle.

When it came to the business side of the job, Kit had picked up a lot of Rebecca's habits when it came to message-taking. It had been set so professionally and clearly. The time and date, the name of whomever was calling, phone number and why they were calling and at the bottom he had signed his name, showing who had taken the message. At this, Baloo gave another chuckle, seeing how Kit had signed his name, giving it a bit of flourish at the end and at how proud he was of that last name.

Continuing through the messages, Baloo read with a bored sigh. "Geez, different people, same ole'…." Baloo stopped suddenly as he noticed something at the bottom of the messages and slowly turned back a few to check to see if he wasn't seeing things and went back to the beginning.

The first few had been signed in that same confident signature he had used since Rebecca had helped him with his handwriting, but then…they started to waver kind of like he seemed…unsure. Then, they started to get smaller and had regressed to that of how he used to write. He had just about put it down when the last message fell to the floor.

Looking down quietly, Baloo raised a brow as he saw something he had never seen before. Picking up the message, Baloo started from the top and read down and blinked, shaking his head as he looked it over. This couldn't have been Kit's handwriting. Maybe…maybe Kit had a friend over who may have taken a message for him? "Nah, the kid knows better than that."

"Knows better than what, Baloo?"

The bear turned around, the note still in his hand as he looked at Rebecca, who held a still half-asleep Molly in her arms. Sighing, Baloo slowly walked over and handed the stack over to Becky, who traded Molly over for the stack.

"What's this?" Looking them over, she scowled at him "Is it really that bad that he actually pick up some good habits from…"

Baloo silenced her by pointing to the signature at the bottom, causing a confused "what's your point" look on his boss's face. "Look through all of them."

Doing as he asked, a slow realization crossed her face as she noticed as well, which quickly turned to worry as she slowly to the last one. "I…I don't understand. This doesn't look anything like Kit's handwriting, but…Kit wouldn't have somebody else do his work for him. But the question remains: Who is…Mouse?"

From the nearby window, a figure watched from the darkness; unseen by Baloo, Becky or Molly. As he watched, he quietly cursed to himself. This was not going as his employer had planned and it seemed things were getting worse rather quickly. He had told him not to contact him unless it was of great emergency and well…this was it. Moving away from Higher for Hire, the figure whistled down a taxi and headed off in the direction of uptown Cape Suzette.


	5. Chapter 5

-1"LOST HEARTS RETURN HOME  
Chapter5

By TuckerCloudkicker

Even the righteous sinned, the wealthy beg, and the happiest of all have seen the sadness of this life. The strongest have fallen and the brightest of flames can often grow weak and threaten to go out. The heart is like that flame; even through the worst of storms…the heart will go on.

Taking a deep breath as he had left the bedroom of his somewhat happy home the little navigator known as Kit Cloudkicker put a grin on his face. Happy to see his friends again he knew he would have to make this excuse sound as real as he possibly could.

As he took the first step to make his way down to the main floor the cub cringed as he heard his name called by Miss Cunningham. Unsure of why the 12 year old couldn't help but feel a bit of dread as he noticed the slight worry in his employers voice.

Quickly taking the stairs as possible, Kit tripped a couple of times and had almost gone head first down the last turn. No need to worry them anymore than they seemed to be already he was sure.

"Hi Miss Cunningham, Hi Papa Bear…."

As the last few words faded from his mouth Kit stared nervously at the two adults standing just a few feet away. Baloo tapping his foot impatiently as Rebecca stood rather closely to the larger bear holding what seemed to be a stack of messages he had taken from this morning and last night.

With a confused look on his face the cub looked back and forth at the two and felt a knot form in his throat. A few beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as his voice returned to him.

"Uh…Hi guys how was the trip? I hope everything went okay. You look a little annoyed did I mess up on the messages again?"

That was when the larger bear and pilot of Higher for Hire had taken a slip of paper off the top of the pile Rebecca was holding and held it out for Kit to see.

"I don't know Kit did you? Or should I call you… Mouse?"

As quickly as the boy could read the small letters of the already spoken nickname on the sheet a gasp had escaped the boy's chest. Stepping back instinctively the pupils of Kit's eyes seemed to grow to the size of saucers as he himself seemed to shrink a bit.

Had he in his fearful state of delirium reverted to his old nickname and signed it on the sheets without realizing it? Had the dreams and memories of the past affected him that much?

Taking a few panicked breaths Kit realized his past **was **finally catching up to him and they would want to know what was going on.

Looking at the two like a cornered cat, Kit realized that once they found out about his life they would probably not want him around any more or Atleast their relationship would change drastically.

Looking to them again Kit realized Baloo had continued to watch him and couldn't tell if the big bear was upset, concerned or just being impatient again. Even though he knew Baloo was a hotheaded bear with little or no patience he still wondered how little it would really take to set him off for sure. He didn't want to find out.

Still…He wondered if he could he tell them honestly them what had happened to him? What if he did and they had become disappointed with him for being dishonest this whole time. There was no way he could go back to living the way he did than. There was no way he could survive that way of having those who took care of him looking down him like last time. Not again.

Finally speaking up Baloo tapped his foot again.

"Well Li'l Britches were waiting. Between this and keeping us waiting you have a lot to explain…"

Like Kit before his own words trailing off as the little navigator's shoulders slumped suddenly. Any confidence the boy was carrying before had seemed to suddenly disappear like a mirage.

Looking him over Baloo saw a boy he could not recognize though he knew him to be his friend and navigator. It was slightly disturbing to see the boy change so drastically and so quickly.

Where was his confidence and smiling face that he knew so well? Where was the fire like spirit that made Kit such a fighter? It had irritated him on occasion but at the same time it had made him come to love the kid as well.

Finally speaking Kit truly caused the two to be concerned as a small whimper escaped his chest. What came next was a voice so small both adults almost had to strain to hear. Both noticed the uncertainty that seemed to strike down each word.

"I-I-I'm…I'm sorry Miss Cunningham…Papa bear. I guess I got kinda tired last night and didn't really pay attention to what I was doing. I-I-I'm sorry…I'll try to do better next time."

Baloo could only stand there staring at his small navigator in confusion. Baloo had remembered hearing Kit like this before and had to strain to remember where at.

That was when he finally remembered. It was on the way back home after he had saved Kit from that nut pilot Dan who almost got his friend killed. Kit had been so remorseful in that moment when he had said he was sorry for leaving. All he could do was forgive him. He had loved the kid too much not to. Of course Kit had instantly cheered up in that instant.

In the here and now things were very much different. Kit had seemed to fall back into that mode and appeared unable to snap out of it at all. With a sigh the big bear stepped forward and kneeled down in front of the cub that suddenly bolted over and partially behind the overstuffed arm chair.

"I…er…wha?"

Baloo stared blankly now as he had quickly turned to see kit peeking out from behind the chair. Confusion had completely set in as he watched quietly.

There had been times when Molly had gotten into one of these moods where she would get bashful around him and kit but…Never Kit himself. Kit was never the bashful or shy type though there were the times he had flinched or moved away from Baloo even though the kid had seemed to always trust him.

Looking up to Rebecca finally Baloo had remembered she was there as well and from the looks of it she seemed to be confused as well.

"You'd think he was scared of us." Rebecca murmured to Baloo as she had decided to give it a try slowly making her way to the chair.

"Kit? We're not mad at you. We…Just want to know what's going on is all. You know we wouldn't hurt you. Now come on over and…"

Before she could finish the cub had let out a whimper and hid farther behind the chair. That was when she heard the angry growl from behind her and watched as Baloo sped past her and up to the chair picking kit up by the back of his sweater and placing him in the crook of one of his arms.

"That's it kiddo I'm tired of waiting for you to come out and tell me what's going on. I tried to be patient and figured you'd tell me on your own time but this is getting out of hand! I've never seen you so anxious and uptight as you have been lately. Now you're going to tell us and you're gonna tell us now!"

Neither of them had expected what happened next.

A startled yelp left Kit as he suddenly bit the grey bear causing him to yelp as well letting go of the now scared cub that fell to his feet and let out a feral growl.

"You don't understand! You just don't understand! Neither of you do! I…wouldn't expect you to. You have no idea what I've been through. Living on the streets in the cold and…The orphanage. You have no idea what I had to do to stay alive!"

Standing there panting and gasping for breath the cub was about to go off again when Baloo stepped closer.

"How could we understand? You're so quiet about your past we know nothing about you except for being an ex pirate! When we do try to find anything out you run off using the excuse of finding someone to teach you to fly!"

Kit himself had begun to protest that if he had been willing to teach him he wouldn't have when Baloo cut him off.

"Yeah sure that was one of the reasons you left but that's not the point!! You leave when things aren't going so well and when you do stick around you keep quiet about your problems!! When are you finally gonna **trust me!!"**

Standing there quietly he waited for the cub to respond. He had hoped that finally he had broken through to the cub that stood struggled to get the words out or Atleast maybe finally realize he could trust Baloo.

Looking up finally the boy grimaced and shook his head speaking in that quiet weak voice again.

"I-I'm sorry I can't…"

Before the big bear could speak again Kit had bolted for the door and was gone Leaving both adults speechless and confused.

"This is not good Baloo. Maybe you should go after him. The way he's acting right now he may get himself hurt. I'd hate it if anything were to…"

Turning to speak to the larger bear she stopped in mid-sentence seeing the angry hurt look on the pilot's face.

"Forget it Rebecca I'm tired of chasing after him! He'll come back when he's ready. Me I'm headed to Louie's to take a break. I've been stuck in that plane for 9 hours with you lady I need to relax!"

Heading off to the door Baloo had already expected Rebecca to start in on him about being irresponsible lazy and every other name she generally called him. He was quite surprised to find that he had gotten to the door and silence still seemed to hang in the air.

Shocked that she had not said anything Baloo turned to give her a look of disbelief.

"What's a matter boss lady too tired to yell at me again?"

Trailing off the big bear watched his now teary eyed boss and friend as she wiped away a tear. Sure he had seen her cry a few times but still it surprised him when he did see her cry.

Not to say that he thought she was heartless or only cared about making money, even if he did say that to her from time to time.

"You know…I really don't understand you at all Baloo", she started as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"You tell me how much Kit means to you one minute and than when things get rough you act like you don't even care. Not to say I've been too helpful but you two have been through a lot are you willing to risk him not coming back this time?"

Stopping to think the big bear thought for a moment and knew she was right. The biggest thing on his mind was that he had also been guilty of not airing out his closet either. Unfortunately he was never too good at admitting his flaws.

With a slight growl Baloo waved dismissively at the bearess and walked out.

Having fallen into a state of complete tears Kit had picked a direction, any direction and had bolted away from Higher for Hire as fast as his legs could take him. Not knowing how long he had been running or where he was the young navigator only knew that his legs were starting to hurt immensely and were soon to go out on him.

Finally realizing he had ended up in one of the many cities parks Kit had collapsed to the ground and lay there unmoving as he tried to catch his breath. Not sure if it was fear or the distance that he had run that was causing the pain in his chest Kit tried to calm himself down afraid that he would start to hyperventilate.

Louie's place was often considered one of the best places all over for a great party or even just to forget your troubles for a little while. Unfortunately it had seen an oncoming storm that did not affect the place he called home but the hearts of a few of those who made this night club a sanctuary.

It was sad to see his greatest of friends in the state they were in. Both Baloo and kit had seemed to take on a state of denial of how they felt even though I could be plainly seen of both of them. Shaking his head Louie sighed as he heard the engines of the Conwing slowly make its way up to the dock and wondered if the storm hadn't already arrived.

Once again the bartender looked back at the picture wall behind the counter to gaze at his favorite picture of bear and cub and gave a little chuckle. It was amazing how the two were so much alike. If it weren't for the color difference between the two Louie would have thought the two were…

"Come on Louie get a hold of your self it can't be him. He's been dead for years" He whispered to himself or Atleast thought he did when the front doors creaked open.

"Who's been dead for years?" That familiar voice asked as he slowly made his way to the bar and looked at his longtime friend curiously.

Looking over the Orangutan's shoulder he noticed a familiar picture in Baloo's hand and looked back to Louie.

"Louie…Who's been dead for years? There's something you aren't telling me."

Wincing slightly Louie felt that all familiar tingle up his spine and slowly turned around a grim look on his face.

"Cuz…We have to talk. With all the things that have been going on, I've been thinking about what happened and I…well… We there is something I gotta talk to you about concerning Kit."

Sometime had passed and Kit had finally regained his breath and finally got his feet again. Having somewhat composed himself Kit had realized exactly where he was for the most part.

Franklin memorial park. One of the older parks in Cape Suzette had been closed due to a few wells that had scattered the park making it dangerous due to a hand full of fall ins. Even though all of them were said to be covered the city did not want to take any chances.

From the looks of it the place had stayed unoccupied for quite some time. To Kit that seemed like a blessing as he realized he would have to do a lot of thinking before making a decision as what to do. Taking a few deep breaths the cub started to move through the park as his mind forcefully moved back to his old days before he had met Baloo and ….

"Hey look guys it's a little scared mouse!"

A startled yelp escaped the cub's chest as he spun around hearing a voice that sounded so familiar.

"Hey mouse afraid of your own shadow? What's a matter? Scared they won't like you?"

Where were they? He had heard the voices but no one was there. Trembling now the cub spun around hoping to catch sight of anyone who could be hiding.

"Come on Mouse! Of course nobody likes you you're just a scared little runt who's afraid of his own shadow"

Moving backward the cub was now shaking like a leaf in the wind. Tears started to weld up in his eyes again as he put his hands over his head.

"It's not real. It's all in my head it's not r-r-r-real… I'm just dreaming awake. But why won't it go away I…"

"Hello mouse….Hello mouse….hello mouse hello….Cloudkeecker"

Standing up straight Kit spun around and felt all blood drain from his face as he stared into the face of Don Karnage.

"No!! **Noooooo!! You can't be here you can't!**" Spinning around the terrified cub burst off as fast as his weak legs could take him. He knew this couldn't be real. Don would never be able to get into Cape Suzette.

Sobbing the cub screamed into the air begging this nightmare to give him some peace.

Standing a little closer now Baloo felt his stomach do flips after his friend had told him that they needed to talk about Kit. The funny thing is that's exactly why he had come but he didn't understand why Louie needed to talk to him about the kid.

"Louie You've been acting kind of strange since we left. I've noticed you look at that picture more and more these days. What's going on buddy? I know you had a long talk with Kit the day we left."

Baloo wasn't sure he wanted to know and had regretted the moment the words escaped his mouth as he saw Louie hop up onto the counter and take a seat.

Baloo…I know how you asked me not to talk about him again but…Have you ever thought about your son since the day he well. Since the day he passed on?"

Plopping down on one of the stools Baloo took his hat off and dropped it on the counter and growled slightly. This had been a sensitive spot for him for years and Louie had brought it up only once after it happened. Their friendship had almost ended that day.

"I…I don't remember the last time I thought of him. I haven't even visited the site where they placed his marker. I just figured I'd let the past go. I don't understand. What does this have to do with Kit?"

Hopping off the counter and back behind the counter, Louie pulled out a shoe box. One that Baloo had seen before. A box full of memories that had longs since began to gather dust.

Pulling out a picture Louie lovingly set it on the table and blew the dust off.

"T-that's the picture of you, me, Elizabeth and…my baby boy a few weeks after he was born. I remember that. We had a huge party celebrating the opening of the delivery service and the birth of my son. I can't believe you kept it. I still don't understand buddy what does this…"

Baloo's words faded as Louie set the picture of kit and Baloo next to the old one and realized just what Louie was implying.

"Louie if this is some kind of joke I'm not laughing. This isn't like you. Why would you make a joke like that? You know my son is gone."

Looking up he realized Louie wasn't joking.

Having stopped running Kit gasped for breath his legs felt like they were on fire. No matter where he ran the voices in his head would not give him any solace. Spinning around frantically Kit could no longer take it. As he placed his hands over his ears he stumbled about in scared confusion only to find no comfort. Blinded by his tears the cub spun around again and before the sound of splintering wood could register Kit found himself falling into the vast darkness of one of the many wells and before the cub could let out a gasp of breath a sharp pain stuck the back of his head and all went silent.

"Baloo haven't you ever wondered why the kid looks so much like you? Why he's got that same blasted stubborn attitude and an ego to match. That and why is it they never told you what was reason for his passing? Did you even see your son when they told you?"

Baloo shook his head trying to ignore his friend. He had already thought this himself but knew it was crazy to think that kit and his son had anything to do with each other.

"Even if my son were alive there'd be no way of him finding me! It's impossible! Hell there's no way! You've got no proof that he's alive I'd know my own son if he…"

Baloo once again stopped as Louie pointed to kit's leg in the picture.

"Your son had a birth mark on the back of his leg didn't he? A little heart shaped birthmark?"

Baloo gave the old friend a curious look as if he wasn't sure.

"Remember when Kit hurt his leg that night old short stuff tried to take over my Island?"

Baloo nodded and swallowed nervously. His heart started to race as dread started to fill him.

"I thought it was a bruise at first but it looked to light to be a bruise. I remember looking closer. I…I remember now. It …It was a birthmark in the shape of a…"

Baloo had fallen silent as realization hit like the Seaduck on the ocean from a mile up.

"Baloo…Your son is alive…Kit is…"

Baloo could no longer deny it. The facts were staring him in the face.

"Kit is my son………"


	6. Chapter 6

The hardest truths discovered are often the ones staring you in the face.

* * *

Baloo stared blankly across the night club as Louie watched him from the bar a few feet away as his friend seemed to completely space out. Of course it was to be expected. The big bear had come upon a startling revelation. The funny thing of it was he had mentioned to Baloo on a few occasions how much Kit seemed to be like him. They seemed so much alike from their temper, their love of flying, all the way down to that bravado they often showed, Though Kit's seemed to be more of an act.

Once again the barkeep turned his attention to the pilot as he began to gaze back and forth from the old picture of him and his child to the newer picture taken just a few months earlier. In so many ways it seemed to make sense and others didn't… Or did they?

When the doctor had told him and Elizabeth that their son had passed away Baloo wondered why the doctor had refused them the chance to see their little boy one last time. Why he seemed so nervous back than. Sure any doctor would hate having to tell any parent their child had died, that they had outlived their child but he had seemed to be sweating up a storm.

Could the doctor have lied about his son's death? The more he thought of it the more possible it became. The more that he thought about it he began to recall the rumors and gossip that seemed to be going around.

Flashback

"Aw come on Louie! Child snatchers? I think you've been hanging out with Buzz a little to often. By the way has he stopped by lately?" Shaking his head Louie chuckled and continued to wipe down the counter.

"He's probably stuck up in that lab at Khan Industries. Ever since he got that job he's practically started living there. Seriously though cuz, you should really watch out. They say there's this big medical scam where doctors are scamming parents out of their kids."

Present  
Coming out of his thoughts Baloo had realized that maybe… Just maybe Louie had been right. He just had to know. If that…that bastard of a doctor had taken his child. Jumping up from his chair Baloo looked to Louie who had jumped as well right off the side of the counter.

Geeze Cuz you think you could warn a guy when you do something like that?! What's got you flying outta your chair now?

Looking in Baloo's eyes he suddenly noticed a slight shimmer of hope.

"I'm going to the hospital Louie! "The big bear hollered as he turned to run out the door. Blinking confusedly Louie took after him.

"The hospital? What are you going to find there?"

Louie's first guess was to admit himself into the psychiatric unit but now was not the time for jokes.

Looking back Baloo gave Louie a look as if the ape should know what he was thinking.

"Remember that talk we had about rumors of child abductions after my kid was born?"

Louie nodded and tried to keep up. Baloo was seemingly more out of sense than usual. "Sure thing I remember hearing about it still. But, what does this have to do with kit….." Trailing off Louie realized finally where this was going. Coming to a stop suddenly Louie looked into the eyes of the bear who had stopped only a few feet away.

"I…I gotta find out Louie. If that doctor had anything to do with this than I'll know for sure.

* * *

"Hey! Mouse…wake up mouse!"

There was that nasally voice again waking him up as usual. The only one who would bother to wake him up really. Opening his eyes Kit Groaned slightly and looked around before laying his eyes on a small male turtle by the name of…

"William! It's too early to get up! Besides what's the point. Go to class where everyone will ignore me than spend the rest of the day in here….

Kit trailed off abruptly as William gave the young boy a grim look and shuddered. He knew what the other boy was going to say but hoped to himself that it wasn't true. Sure he knew it was selfish of him but William had been his best and only friend in the orphanage.

Looking back to the turtle once more his heart sank and realized it was true.

"You…You got adopted didn't you? "Kit queried almost too low to hear. With a sigh William answered with a nod and gave a weak smile.

"Yeah Kit I got adopted. They're coming to pick me up today. They're really nice. My adopted dad works in a lab and my adopted mom is a science teacher at the school I'll be going to. It'll be great! I'll get to… to… Stopping in mid sentence he couldn't help but notice the tears weld up in Kit's eyes. He had realized that he was pretty much bragging about his adoption to Kit.

Wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder the turtle smiled weakly. Honestly he thought this would be a good thing for the kid Sure he was kind of shy himself but at 7 years old a kid like kit shouldn't be so antisocial.

"Come on kiddo" William prodded as he smiled. "You know you'll get adopted soon enough. You're one of the smartest kids here, aside from me that is." William had hoped that would get Atleast a small smile but the boy refused to look up. "That and you're one of the most athletic and definitely the cutest kid here You just gotta work on your confidence and willing to be around other kids I…" Before he could even sense the anger in the other boy Kit was on his feet and out the door a small sob escaping his chest as he disappeared.

* * *

Groaning as eyes once again opened kit grimaced as the sharp pain in the back of his head sparked into notice. It was the same dream he had been having for weeks amongst others. Actually more of flashbacks but, right now was not the time to be technical.

Remembering what had happened finally the young navigator looked up toward the whole that was at the most, only 20 to 30 feet up but seemed miles away. Scanning the walls themselves that surrounded him Kit noticed the smoothness of them and realized any chance of him climbing said walls would be close to impossible. It also didn't help that pain seemed to radiate through him and who knew what injuries he may have sustained.

Sure…Kit had been injured before. God knew how many bones he had broken, twists and sprains he had on his own. Had he still been on his own this wouldn't have scared him. The thing was…he wasn't on his own anymore.

He had found a home where someone was there to take care of him. To his chagrin Kit had become soft again. He had become used to the comforts of…home. He couldn't help but confess that Higher for Hire had become his home and those he spent his days with had become his family. In his own mind he had become spoiled. All he wanted now was to go home. To go home and see his papa bear again.

With thoughts of home in his head Kit's eyes started to close once again as unconsciousness overtook him.

* * *

Worried? No Rebecca had stopped being worried 2 hours ago and had gone into "worried sick". It was now 1 in the morning and kit had left hours ago quickly followed by Baloo who once again also found leaving his only answer to a problem. Sadly the problem was Kit…again.

It was kind of funny. Nothing else worried or bothered the pilot more than Kit. Anything else was "small potatoes". She had to admit that after knowing the young man for some time now she had come to care for him as well.

Although Kit wasn't her son he had made her so proud of him. Since he had become an employee of hers she knew he would bring a little something…special to the place. Like Baloo though he could be so infuriating some times. Both were set in their ways and had a temper. Kit had generally set that temper at Baloo but the fighting between them was enough to match Baloo and her self.

Shaking her head the Bearess sighed and looked across to the little girl asleep in the beloved overstuffed chair. It was so hard for her to stay awake hoping Kit would get home before she would fall asleep. If things were like every other time Kit would not be home tonight. Still…she would wait here until he did come home.

* * *

Butterflies had filled the bear's stomach. He knew he had to find out if what Louie had said was true or not. Of course Baloo had been happy that the ape himself had offered to come or else he might have had cold feet about 2 hours ago.

Of course at this point it had been too late for the pilot to change his mind as he stepped up to the front doors of the hospital his friend close behind. This of course was when it had hit him.

What if Kit was his son? If Kit was his child he knew things would change drastically. Up until now Kit had been his partner, navigator, and best friend. It scared him to think of the backlash that would come when the kid were to find that he had been on his own thinking he had no family.

His biggest fear was how Kit would react. His heart had already sunk imagining the hurt look on his boy's face. That questioning look as to why his papa never thought to look for him.

"Louie…I dunno if I can do this. What if it's true? What if That…that doctor" Baloo couldn't finish the sentence, tears wetting his eyes as he turned to his old friend an unsure look on his face.

Louie had wanted to reassure the bear that Kit would understand if not feel at least a little angry for living his life up to this point on his own. Unfortunately how Kit was lately he didn't really know how he'd react. Still.

"Baloo Cuz… If you lose your guts now and leave you'll spend forever wondering if it was true or not. Besides… You seem to be the only one who hasn't noticed how much of a father you've been so far even if you weren't Kit's daddy. You love that kid and you know he loves you."

Louie once again gave the bear a small nod as he gave him a gentle nudge through the door and hoped he was enough to keep the bear from tearing the hospital apart if the rumors were correct.

* * *

Sounds of the city filled the young boy's ears as he once again opened his eyes and shivered as a deep chill fill his body. Winger city had gotten a cold winter this year and with nothing but his green sweater to keep him warm the 9 year old could do nothing but wrap his small arms around him and shiver.

It had been a little over a year since he had left the orphanage and while he had been glad to leave it behind his new found freedom had cost him a lot. Looking down at his frail form sitting up Kit had realized just how much weight he had lost. Scowling in disgust Kit struggled to get to his feet and once again slowly made his way out into the busy sidewalk of the city leaving the awning of the alley he had taken refuse in.

Muttering to him self Kit had not realized until now the rain that poured down unmercifully on the city until he had joined the other wet citizens around him. Unfortunately his stomach had demanded that his attention be returned to the matter at hand. If Kit didn't eat soon he was going to starve and his body would shut down.

This brought his largest dilemma. If he begged for money or attempted to steal he knew he would be caught and the boy would be sent back to that cold lonely orphanage. Than again…This was no better.

Sure there were a lot more people but no matter how many surrounded him. He was still alone. Quietly making his way down the sidewalk the little boy began to make out the wonderful smells of food that that wafted down the sidewalk bringing many into the safety of what looked to be a small diner.

Quickly making his way up to the front window he planted his face close to the glass looking inside. Inside the small cub watched as people seemed to enjoy their breakfast of eggs and bacon, and…pancakes. Oh how Kit's mouth watered, his stomach growling in protest.

Kit had no idea how long he had stood there staring forlornly inside before his sight had been blocked. It was than that he had looked up to find what he'd assume was the cook. His arms crossed over his chest the large bear had opened his mouth to talk.

Even though he could not hear what was said Kit had gotten the gist of it and continued down the walkway a sneeze escaping his muzzle. He had not walked far when the sound of voices began to come from the alley. Stopping on the edge of the corner kit watched as the same cook walked out the door hefting a large bag over his shoulder muttering something about doing everything and getting next to nothing in pay.

Until now Kit would have rather died than eat from a dumpster but at this point he knew it was his only chance. He just had to wait for the right moment.

Fortunately it had not taken long as the Cook slung the bag into dumpster and slammed it shut. Quickly turning around the cook seemed look around momentarily before stepping inside slamming the door shut.

Waiting for a minute or two the boy paced back and forth making sure the bear would not come back out before quickly making his way down the alleyway his heart beating a mile a minute. Finally reaching the end kit looked around for something to stand on and grinned finding a milk crate.

Pushing it across the slush covered ground Kit hopped up and began to shove up on the dumpster's cover grunting as he pushed with all his might.

"Come on! Open!" He growled frustrated putting what was left of his strength into pushing it open with one more heave Kit had gotten it open just enough to wriggle his small frame into the dumpster and dropping inside.

It had not taken long for the boy to find the bag that had just been deposited even in the dark before he had ripped it open and began to scavenge for anything that would be edible enough. Once again he had been lucky and without any hesitation began to wolf down his discovery not putting any attention to the foot steps that made their way to the dumpster once more.

Once again the dumpster lid was once raised and a head appeared above the dumpster muttering once again.

"Lousy Customers telling me the bacon's over cooked" Ready to throw the bag into the dumpster the bear looked down at the small figure sitting just inside leaning against the wall. Growling slightly the bear leaned into the dumpster.

With a full stomach Kit had once again felt exhaustion hit him and had begun to fall asleep once more until he was rudely awoken feeling a large hand grab him roughly by the collar pulling him out of the dumpster.. With a slightly yelp Kit looked up in the eyes of the annoyed cook who raised him to look eye to eye.

"Well what do we have here?" The deep voice questioned a small chuckle escape his lips that quickly turned into a growl again. "Seems I found me a little mouse looking for food. What's your name little mouse?"

Kit had realized he had been caught and fear began to fill him. "M-m-mouse…." Wincing slightly the cub realized his mistake and forced a cocky look on his face. "I mean Kit…Kit Cloudkicker What's it to you?"

Blinking slightly the cook gave the kid a chuckle and slammed the boy into the side of the dumpster.

"Kid either you got lots of guts or you're really dumb. Now get out of here before I…OWWWWW!"

Dropping the kid suddenly the cook waved his hand as curses left him rather loudly and bent down to catch the boy once more. Unfortunately by then the boy had wriggled though his legs and turned pushing the much larger bear into the side of the dumpster before running as quickly as he could. Not knowing where he was going all kit knew was that guy was not going to be ticked if he saw him again.

Still running for what seemed many minutes later Kit had found himself back in his familiar own alley. He would have to keep out of site for a while and besides….After eating he was once again feeling so sleepy.

* * *

Quiet…In all her time that Rebecca Cunningham had spent at Higher for Hire she had never know it to be so quiet. One of the greater things of such silence was the fact that it had given the bearess some since of clarity.

Clarity that she had needed to realize just what exactly she had missed before. It was truly sad how she had spent her time worrying so much about trying to prove she could make something of this business that she had missed what was truly important. Her family and her friends.

Sitting in the bedroom of Kit and Baloo Rebecca gazed down at the picture of the two a small smile on her face.

A black and white picture of the two fishing on the pier had reminded her of the day. She had taken that picture herself. It had been one of the days that Rebecca had been able to relax for once and felt the need to give her employees the day off.

Funny enough it was one of the only days that she and Baloo had not argued. It had been nice to watch the two spend time together. To see how the two bonded she had reminded herself a little when her own husband had held Molly when she was a baby.

To watch the two together she couldn't help but think about how much a father Baloo seemed to become to Kit and in a way she felt a little envious. Helping the boy to improve in school and watching him grow over the last year she realized just how much she cared about him.

Unfortunately with how busy she had become so much lately she had neglected to see the changes that had come over Kit since Baloo had mentioned the dreams he had been having. Unfortunately between taking care of Molly, keeping Baloo on track with his deliveries and keeping the company from sinking it had been hard for her to give Kit the attention he deserved.

Still, no matter how many times Kit was pushed to the back during times of crisis the kid never seemed to complain or show any signs of bitterness toward her or Baloo. Of course now that she had come to realize the fact she began to wonder if it was to late to realize her mistake. That, between her negligence and Baloo's pushing she began to wonder if they had finally pushed him away for good.

Unable to see the happy home without Kit in it the bearess let out a choked sob and quietly vowed that if Kit came back she would make sure things were different from now on. She just wished she knew where Baloo had gone.

* * *

I do apolagize for the short chapter and taking so long to post but things have been crazy but I assure you I will finish the story. If it's the last thing I. eesh!


End file.
